H1B Fees

H1B fees include filing fees and immigration lawyer fees. The immigration lawyer fees vary and can be checked on law firm websites, by phone or during your first free consultation. The filing fees are to be paid to USCIS by check or money order when you submit your H1B petition. New additional fees for certain H1B petitioners are established under the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 (Public Law 114-113), which was signed by President Obama on December 18, 2015. According to this Act fees for certain H1B and L-1 visa petitions increased. After December 18, 2015 those petitioners have to pay an additional fee of $4,000 for each H1B and $4,500 for each L-1A or L-1B application.

Who has to pay the new additional fees for H1B and L-1 petitions?

The fees apply to those companies who have 50 or more employees in the USA and more than 50% of their employees have H1B or L-1A/L-1B visas. These fees are in addition to all other applicable processing fees.

What are the processing fees for H1B visa petition?

The H1B visa processing fees depend on your type of H-1B petition and some other issues. The H-1B fees are as follows:

1. Every petitioner has to pay a base filing fee in the amount of $325.

2. Under the American Competitiveness and Workforce Improvement Act of 1998 (ACWIA) every petitioner pays:
a. $750 if the employer has up to 25 full-time employees;
b. $1,500 if the employer has more than 25 full-time employees.

3. Fraud Prevention and Detection fee – $500.

4. Public Law 114-113 fee in the amount of $4,000. This H1-B fee is applicable to those petitioners who:
a. employ 50 or more workers in the US, and
b. more than 50% of these workers have H1B or L-1 status.
This additional fee is applicable both to petitioners requesting for their beneficiaries H1B visas and to beneficiaries who already have H1B visas and want to transfer to other employers.

5. Premium Processing Method fee – $1,225. This is an optional fee which should be paid if you want to expedite the H1B process. If you use this method USCIS will make a decision on your H-1B petition within 15 days.

What are the acceptable methods of payment for H1B visa petition?

USCIS accepts checks and money orders which should be enclosed with your petition for H-1B visa. Make sure to write separate checks for all applicable fees. This way if a certain fee does not apply to you, USCIS will return it and process your petition. If you combine all the fees and enclose one check which amount for whatever reason is incorrect, your application for H1B visa may be rejected.

About This Site

Immigration to the USA is usually a complicated and long process. Sometimes you will need an immigration attorney right from the very beginning in order to understand whether you are qualified and what your chances are. Your next step, when you are already here, would be to look for a job. This is also a painstaking process that may take months. You will dramatically increase your chances, if you get acquainted with some basics of the US immigration and employment law.
This site aims at helping you better understand major immigration and employment rules and trends in the USA and the State of New York.

Disclaimer

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